Automobile headlight control.



C. M. GRUM.

AUTOMOBILE HBADLIGHT CONTRGL.

APPLIUATION FILED 0OT.1, `1912.

PatentedJuezmQl.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

0. M. GBUM.

AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT 'CONTROL APPLICATION FILED 00.T.1, 1912.

Patented June 24, 1913.

z SEHEN-SHEET 2.

UNrrED srAfrEs PATENT oEEioE.

CLARENCE M. CRUM, OF HANNAH, NORTH DAKOTA.

AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT CONTROL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 24. 1913.

Application vfiled October 1, 1912. Serial No. 723,382.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE M. CHUM, citizen of :the United States, residing at Hannah, in thecountyof'Cavalier and State of vNorth Dakota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile Headlight Control, .of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic headlight control, the object in view being Ato, provide a ,constructionv and arrangement of headlights for automobiles and the like, by means of which the headlights are turned automatically in accordance with the angle taken by the frontvsteering wheels of the machine, .thereby causing the rays of light from the lamps :to be directed inthe course to be followed byl the machine, i-n accordance with-the position of the steering wheels. This 'insures the illumination of that part 'of the roadway which is being appro-ached and which is to be traveled over, and is much more satisfactory than the present arrangement, in which the headlights are fastened in fixed position on the frame or'chassis of themachine.

A further obj-ectzof the invention is to provide a construct-ion for the purpose above outlined, which will be economical toproduce, and which willfnot be liable to get out of order.

With the above and other objects'in- View, the invention consists in the construct-ion, combination and arrangement of parts, as

l will be hereinafter more fully described,

illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereunto appended. v v j In the drawings: Fi ure 1|is a planview `of the front portion oan automobile running gear, showing the invention ap lied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation o the same. Fig. 3 is a, detail sectional -View of one of the telescopic connecting bars, showingalso a portion of the rack bar and illustrating the connection between the same. Fig. et is a vertical section onan enlarged scale taken adjacentto onef of the lamp posts, showing the body'of the supporting bracket in elevation.` Fig. 5 is a detail per;1

spective view of the bracket per se.

Referring to th drawings, 1 designates apair of posts, shown as provided at their upper ends with the'forks 2,' to which the headlights of the automobile are' ordinarily attached. In carrying out this invention,v

vlow-er or journal portion 11 of the post l is provided with an annular shoulder or bearing cone 12 which rests upon and'is supported by the balls 9, while a detachable ball cone 18 is threaded upon the reduced lower end of the journal 11, and secured by means of a nut 14 backed up by a lock nut 15, as'

shown. This provides for taking up wear in the bearings at the top and bottom ofthe journal 11 of the post 1.

1 6 'designates a brace extending from eachA post 1 back to the chassis,'to 'which it is rigidly connected, said brace being provided at its upperand forward end with a ball bearing collar 17, in which-are placed ball cones 18 and 19, confining between them a circular series of anti-friction balls 20, the said cones being `held in place by nuts 21 and 22.. The twoY braces 16 are connected rigidly together by a tie rod 23 which' serves to steady the upper portions of both of `the posts 1.

Just above the shoulder 12 of each post 1, a spur gear wheel 24 is mounted faston vthe post 1, and meshing with the wheels 24 is a reciprocatory rack bar 25 which travels between upper and lower anti-friction ,rollers 26 and 27, and is backed up by another anti-friction roller 28 turning on a vertical ,axis and serving to vhold the rack bai 25 in constant mesh with the wheels 24. This also reduces -to a minimum the friction on the rack bar, and enables the entire operappreciable increase of burden on the operator at the steering wheel. The lrollers 26 27 and '28 are journaled in an upper L- shaped extension 29. of the bracket 23, said extension and the'rollers' carried thereby be- .100 ating-,mechanism to be actuated without any ing located 'in rear n of the,v adjacent gear wheel 24.

3 0 designates the steering'armconnecting rod of an automobilefwhich is pivotally connected, at its, ends, tothe' steering arms l'this being' the usual construction and -arrangement.' In carryingv out this invention, it is necessary to cause the rack bar to move longitudinally in the same direction and simultaneously and equally 4with the steering arniccnnecting rod 30. This is accomplished by the movement of a pair of connecting rods 32, each' of which is of telescopic construction, as shown in Fig. 3. ln other words, each oit' said connecting rods comprises a hollow or tubular member, to which the reference numeral 3'2fis applied, and a relatively sliding member 33 which is adapted to slide freely back and 4forth in the member 32. its rear end, to the steering arm connecting rod by a horizontal pivot or bolt- 34:, and at its forward end eachrod is connected yby a. horizontal pivot 35 to the rack bar 25, said rack bar. being provided with rearwardly extending pivots while the steering arm connecting rod 30 similarly provided with forwardly extending lugs 37 to receive the pivots 34.

It will be seen .trtm the foregoing description that by reason of the arrangement vof the pivots 34 Aand 35, provision is made fer relative up and down movement between the 'rack bar and the rod 30, while at the same time. the movement ot' .the rod 30 in the direction of its length causes a correspending movement of the rack bar In order to compensate for any looseness in the pivots 34 and 35, tie rods 38 and 30 are interposed between the rods 32 and are rigidly connected to the same, thereby torining a practically rigid quadrilateral frame which is interposed between and connects` the rack bar and the steering arm connectmg rod 30.

When the operator turnsthe steering Each rod is connected, at-

lugs 36 to receive the wheel, the steering arm connecting rod 30 is moved to one side or the other, according to the direction in which the, steering wheel is' turned. This causes a correspondingI movement of the rack bar 25 in the same direction, causing the partial rotation of the gear ywheels 24. As these wheels are fast on the posts l ot the headlights, the latter are turned in a corresponding dir .ectio-n, and thereby the rays of light are pro# jected in planes parallel to the plantes of the steering wheels of the machinerthereby illuminating the roadway in the direction to be taken by the machine.

Vhat is claimed is: f

The combination with the .steering arm connecting rod of an automobile, ot headlights having their supporting shafts jou-rnaled to turn on vertical axes, a bar eX-A tending parallel to said rod and operatively connected with the lamp shafts, and a quadrilateral connecting frame embodying par-Y allel .bars connecting said rod and bar andi arranged perpendicular thereto, said parallel..

bars being longitudinally extensible and being pivotally connected to said rod and'bar' on horizontal axes to admit ot relative up, and down movement of said bar and rod, and cross bars rigidly connecting' said eX- tensible bars whereby said connecting frame; is adapted to effect an equal and lsimultaneous longiti'ldinal movement of the said bar and rod.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence ot two witnesses.

C'i.-\`Itl*l iCil M. CHUM. W i l nes-ses l). LflliNns, M. llixon.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each,

by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C, 

